Bethalto sets 2018-19 school calendar

Classes will begin Aug. 15, conclude on May 21, 2019

Steve Horrell • shorrell@edwpub.net

Published
8:45 am CST, Wednesday, February 28, 2018

BETHALTO – If Mother Nature cooperates and no emergency days are needed next year, the last day of school for teachers and students in the Bethalto Community Unit School District will be Tuesday, May 21, 2019.

That may have been the most anticipated date on the 2018-2019 school calendar that was approved Thursday by the Bethalto School Board.

The first day of school is set for Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2018. Homecoming Week will be Sept. 17 through 22, with coronation set for 7 p.m. on Sept. 22.

Since the physical calendar typically winds up on family refrigerators, a few changes were made recently to make things more convenient, said Curriculum Director Justin Newell.

For starters, next year’s calendar shows that Central Registration dates and times will be Thursday, July 26 and Monday, July 30, from noon to 8 p.m.

“What we’re going to do is open up an hour earlier (than last year) and keep it open an hour later,” Newell told board members. “It’s really that late period of the day when we have the most people. And we’re taking that Friday off.”

The registration dates will be placed at the top of the calendar.

Students and teachers will also be off from school on Monday, Nov. 12 to commemorate Veterans Day.

Fall break next year runs from Wednesday, Nov. 21 through Friday, Nov. 23.

Spring break begins Monday, March 18, 2019, and runs through Friday, March 22. Easter break is Friday, April 19, 2019.

“Spring break has been separated from Easter because Easter is unbelievably late next year,” Newell said. “With all of the things coming up at the end of the year, we’re going to take off the Good Friday before Easter to allow a small Easter break there.”

The commencement ceremony is set for 7 p.m. Saturday May 18, 2019.

“We are anticipating that with no emergency days to end school Tuesday, May 21, but we have six emergency days just in case,” Newell said.

Board members also approved a schedule for Credit Recovery Summer School 2018.

“It’s an online program, and we’ll have a teacher as a facilitator,” Newell said.

In past years only Credit Recovery English and Credit Recovery Math were offered. This summer other seminar options are being made available, including science, U.S. history, world history, civics, health, and resource management.

The Credit Recovery classes are offered for credit only and will not apply toward a student’s grade point average. Students must obtain at least a 70 percent in the class to be issued credit.

Session One classes run from 8 to 10:30 a.m.; Session Two classes run from 10:40 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.